Might As Well Be Dead by Rex Stout

Might As Well Be Dead by Rex Stout

A midwestern man accuses his son of stealing $26,000 from him 11 years ago and the son disappears to New York City. Now proof has been found that the son was not the thief and the man’s wife and daughters coerce him into making things right with the son. The problem? He can’t find him. Nero Wolfe enters the case and almost immediately determines that the missing man (living under an assumed name) is a poor fellow who has just been convicted of murder. The greedy side of Wolfe wants to simply inform the father that he has found the boy and collect his fee, but the young man is so upset at the idea that his parents will see him under these conditions that Wolfe hesitates and ends up committing himself to proving that the convicted man is in fact innocent even though the young man won’t help him save himself.

 

And that’s just the setup. This is one of Stout’s best mysteries. There is murder, murder, and more murder—but the only clue is that people keep dying. I guessed the right villain, but once again I did it mostly from my familiarity with how Stout’s mind works. I had no evidence, but boy was it satisfying when Wolfe finally produced it.

 

1 like ·   •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on November 11, 2022 04:00
No comments have been added yet.